5 Vegan Hot Dog Toppings | Recipes & Video

This post for Vegan Hot Dog Toppings was sponsored by Lightlife! Join me at the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival on May 20-21. Lightlife is a sponsor, and I will be doing a cooking demo on Sunday (5/21). Purchase tickets here and get 40% off with code JENNE40.

I hope you enjoy the recipes and video below 🙂

Memorial Day is right around the corner, and for millions of Americans that means the start of summer, and cookouts with grills loaded up with all sorts of meat. It’s a day of increasing our collective risk for cancer. And particularly dangerous is processed meat: hot dogs, bacon, sausages, and deli lunch meats. The World Health Organization classified processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen putting it in the same category as cigarette smoking—meaning it does cause cancer. Red meat is considered a Group 2A carcinogen meaning it probably causes cancer. To make matters worse, high cooking temperatures like in grilling creates nitrosamines, carcinogenic substances.

Instead of feeding your loved ones, children, and friends processed meat and red meat, there’s a simple solution: use vegan alternatives. This week I’ve partnered up with Lightlife to bring you 5 delicious, healthy, and very pretty vegan hot dog toppings for their 100% plant-based Smart Dogs. I’ve been telling friends and family about this collaboration, and everyone asks me, “do they taste like real hot dogs”. All I can say is that no one will know the difference! That, and they are not going to give you cancer. Excellent!!

You’re going to love these five vegan hot dog toppings. In my video I show you how you can mix and match them to make the ultimate vegan Smart Dogs. My favorite is the Blackberry Barbecue sauce with the Rainbow Slaw, then topped with crushed plantain chips. You’ll want to show up with these vegan hot dogs and toppings to celebrations all summer. Who doesn’t like colorful delicious food that doesn’t make you feel bad or give you cancer? Give these a try, and please let me know how you like them!

NOTE: All of the recipes are grouped together the way I combined them in the video.

Combination number one is this tangy and smoky tempeh bacon and pickled beets. Tempeh bacon is super easy to make, and adds so much flavor and great texture to whatever you use it on. I always buy Lightlife brand.

Author: Jenné

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Tempeh Bacon

1 block of Lightlife tempeh

¼ cup soy sauce or tamari

2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave

2 tablespoons smoke seasoning

Quick-Pickled Beets & Onions

½ cup white vinegar

½ tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

½ sweet onion, thinly sliced

1 large raw beet, shredded

Instructions

Tempeh Bacon

Thinly slice the tempeh into strips.

Combine the soy sauce, maple syrup, and liquid smoke in a mixing bowl.

Add the tempeh to the marinade, and toss with your hands or a fork until all of the slices are well coated.

Place it in the refrigerator to marinate at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 300° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Spread the tempeh slices evenly onto the baking sheet, and bake until dry and slightly crispy around the edges, about 30 minutes.

Quick-Pickled Beets & Onions

In a jar combine vinegar, fennel seeds, and sugar, and stir.

Then drop in the onions and beets. Carefully press the vegetables to the bottom of the jar and make sure the vinegar covers them completely. Allow that to sit and marinate for about one hour before serving.

I am obsessed with this spicy tomatillo salsa. It's so perfect for summer! If you aren't a fan of spicy, remove the jalapeño seeds before blending the salsa. If you can't get a mango, try this recipe with fresh peach, strawberries, or pineapple. Make sure to finish this vegan hot dog with ripe avocado.

Author: Jenné

Serves: 1½ cups

Ingredients

6 tomatillos, husks removed

1 jalapeño pepper

½ ripe mango, diced

¼ cup red onion, minced

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Instructions

Turn on the oven broiler.

Place the tomatillos and jalapeño pepper in a baking dish (about 8x8 inches).

Broil the tomatillos and pepper until they begin to char and soften, about 15 minutes.

Place the charred tomatillos, jalapeño, mango, red onion, cilantro, salt, and lime into a blender and pulse a few times to combine. Be careful not to over blend. The salsa should be slightly chunky

This was my favorite combination, especially topped with crumbled plantain chips. Make your own bbq sauce or use a vegan store-bought one.

Author: Jenné

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

Blackberry Barbecue Sauce

1 cup fresh blackberries

1 teaspoon grapeseed oil

1½ cup barbecue sauce (homemade or store-bought)

Rainbow Carrot Slaw

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons vegan mayo

½ teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

1 large carrot, shredded

¼ red cabbage, shredded

Instructions

Blackberry Barbecue Sauce

Preheat oven to 350°.

Toss the blackberries with oil, and spread them onto a baking sheet.

Roast for 15 minutes, until softened and lighter in color.

Place the blackberries and barbecue sauce in a blender, and blend until creamy.

Rainbow Carrot Slaw

In a mixing bowl combine apple cider vinegar, vegan mayo, sugar, and mustard. Stir well to combine. Then add in the shredded veggies and toss. Serve immediately or allow it to marinate in the fridge before serving.

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The Cookbook

Hi, I’m Jenné

I developed my love of sweet potatoes while growing up in beautiful Atlanta, GA. As a picky kid, they were one of the few healthy foods I would eat. Candied yams, sweet potato pie, and a good ol' baked sweet potato; when I think of soul food, these come to mind. Now as a vegan chef sweet potatoes are still my favorite food, and one of the most delightful and soulful ingredients. The recipes in this blog aren't all laced with sweet potatoes, but they are all made with a generous sprinkling of soul.
jenne@thenourishingvegan.com